“The Power of the Youth Vote!”

When you’re a kid, nothing seems boring about adulthood and when you’re a teen, adulthood seems to be the road to freedom. Now that I’m in my twenties, I’m beginning to think that the real freedom was when I could run around in onesies. But I digress, it’s not the onesies I miss…well I do but that’s a whole other subject, it’s the lack of wasting time on ridiculous things. In the last month, we have sat back and watched as a circus act replaced democracy in America. This spilled over to our country, our own PM couldn’t stand up to the Clown in Chief because of well…protocol, manners, social convention, the need to live up to our laid-back stereotype? But it’s not just him, all over the world, leaders have bit their tongue, held their breaths and just allowed this train wreck to take place. From Brexit to Trump, the world is waiting to see when Australia is going to follow suit in these line-ups.

The State of the WA Elections

This Saturday as many WA voters are forced to go to the polls or end up paying a fine we will have to decide where we stand. Stick to the old devil we know or try something new?Sadly, as a young voter I feel very disheartened with the current state of our economy and the job market. Our youth are facing a hard time and no matter who wins, it’s likely they’ll have a tough time returning the state to its status four years ago as “the best performing economy in Australia” (CommSec’s State of the States report). As the mining economy crashed so did we, collapsing into last place with states like NSW, ACT and Victoria leading far in front of us.

We have been under the Liberal leadership since 2008, with Mr Barnett being the longest surviving premier and although he is not to blame for many of our problems, we are ready for a change. As house prices fall, unemployment rises and state debts reach an all time high, people are desperate for a change. A pattern we have seen all around the world.

The Labor representative Mark McGowan is as The Guardian put it “not very interesting”. In fact many have come out to say that they hardly know him. Murdoch University senior political lecturer Ian Cook says “People are not going to vote Labor because of Mark McGowan”. This is a trend we have been seeing for a while now, many people are fed up and down trodden with the current system that they are voting for anyone who will give them an “OUT”. Fortunately for us, he isn’t a Trump. The West Australian owned by media magnate Kerry Stokes proudly endorsed the candidate saying Labor should be given the chance to govern despite lacking a robust plan to cut debt and concerns about the level of union influence in the party. With polls heavily swaying his way and the recent displays of violence Barnett is facing, an election victory for McGowan could prove to the be the easiest part of his run. Inheriting a state that has fallen so far he is taking on a tough job that might prove to be harder than it looks.

Don’t Rant! Go Vote!

It’s not just politics, its our future that is at stake. As adults we spend too much time on social media trying to fight for our rights, harshly typing on our computers and being vocal about issues like climate change while the ice caps melt away. We have strong opinions and want to express them with passion, but there is a big difference between ‘being heard and being listened to.’ Many of us feel we need to change the state we are in, yet we rather spend our Saturday afternoon having pointless discussions about the fates of the characters of our favorite TV shows or scrolling through cat videos.

So what am I saying? Well not a lot, like most adults I find the need to rant cathartic.To be completely honest, there is no solution to this whirlwind of ridiculousness we find ourselves in. The world is screwed up and there is nothing you can do about it…well actually there is. GO VOTE!